Why One New York Startup Chose Android Over iPhone For Its Big App Launch

Kevin Smith, provided by

Published 11:00 am, Thursday, June 20, 2013

Grand St., an online gadget boutique, is launching an Android app today for tablets and smartphones.

The startup chose Google's Android first because its founders are huge fans of the platform.

"Android's growth is very compelling to us," Aaron Henshaw, one of Grand St.'s co-founders told Business Insider. "In the past, developers didn't focus on design in Android. The approach we've taken puts design at the forefront of the app. We wanted to make a high-quality iOS app but for Android."

It's a major departure from the strategies of most tech companies. Typically, developers make apps for iOS first because its easier to code for and you're guaranteed that your app will work on all devices. Because Android runs on a wide variety of devices, it can be more difficult to developer for, which is why it's usually late to the game for new apps.

The app experience is smooth. It looks great on smartphones, but even better on tablets, especially in landscape mode. Images are beautiful and its easy to just scroll through to find out about the company's latest gadget. The checkout process through the app is pretty seamless too.

If you download the new Android app today, you'll get to bypass the waiting list for the Grand St.'s sales.

Some of Grand St's past products have included, the iPhone controlled Parrot AR.Drone 2.0, the MindWave Mobile (a headset that lets you control a toy helicopter just by thinking), the Pax by Ploom ,a portable hand-held vaporizer, and a handful of products that originally found life on Kickstarter.

Grand St. plans to release an iOS app at some point, but hasn't said when.